MSF At A Glance

Founded in 1958 by Quakers and promulgating the values of tolerance, equality of all people, social justice and nonviolent resolution of conflict, Mercer Street Friends works tirelessly to touch the lives of more than 30,000 people a year and help them overcome the debilitating effects of poverty, hunger, neglect and health concerns. This is about two-thirds of the people in poverty in Mercer County.

The Mercer Street Friends Food Bank channels 3 million pounds of food and groceries annually to more than 60 food assistance programs run by food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters and nonemergency feeding sites. The programs of the Food Bank reach 25,000 children, adults and seniors at risk for hunger and food insecurity.

Through the Mercer Street Friends Children and Youth Services Division, youth development programs provide delinquency prevention, violence prevention, enrichment, vocational training and clinical services to over 120 youths per year, ages 14 through 18. Additionally, the Functional Family Therapy program provides evidence-based clinical intervention to 120 at-risk families per year.

Each day, 100 infants, toddlers, and pre-school students are received in full-day programs at the Mercer Street Friends Abbott Classrooms, which provide a safe, stimulating environment for children to learn and thrive. Every day of the school year, 400 children arrive at Mercer Street Friends School-Age Child Care programs held in six public schools in Hamilton. Mercer Street Friends also provides the only after-school program in Mercer County for special needs children who attend the Mercer County Special Services District.

Mercer Street Friends Parenting and Adult Services builds competency through education, employment support, and parenting training. The Healthy Families-TIP Program, the Children’s Futures/Parent Child West Program, and the Family Support and Reunification Program provide home visiting and group activities that promote nurturing, nonviolent parenting skills to at-risk families. The Mercer Street Friends Work Readiness Program helps Temporary Assistance for Needy Families clients prepare for and gain employment; the Adult Basic Skills Program provides literacy skills, with the goal of achieving the GED credential, and the Even Start Family Literacy Program promotes parental competency and strives to improve both parent and child language development and literacy skills.

Each year, Mercer Street Friends Home Health Care provides up to 2,000 homebound, ill, post-surgical or disabled clients with a full range of home-care services. Our skilled staff includes nurses; physical, occupational and speech therapists; certified wound care specialists; registered dieticians; certified behavioral health specialists; medical social workers; and certified home health aides. Friends Home Health Care is Medicare and Medicaid certified and participates with most private insurances.